June 14 - Follow-up

Following my last post, I had some interesting comments on my email. As you might recall I wrote that our thought processes are quite often prejudiced by our first visual impressions. It had not really occurred to me that I probably make similar judgements based on the sound I hear in another person’s voice.

Jill pointed this out when she wrote about the TV reality show, The Voice. Although I’m not especially familiar with this show, I gather that the four judges aren’t able to see the contestants when they audition but have to make their decision as to quality of the performance based on the voice alone. Jill wrote that as a viewer she found herself trying to anticipate both the appearance and personality of the performer based on the sound of the voice.

I suppose that I do a similar thing when I meet someone for the first time. Does the voice of the other person sound officious, too shy, impatient, too loud, too soft, accented, slurred, and the list goes on. What do I think when I hear these differences? I know that I often form an impression of another person based on their voice.

Taking this to yet another level – just this past week I heard another interesting comment. My friend, Joyce, was giving a blind friend a hug. Her friendship with this person was long standing but not close physically. As they hugged, the blind friend burst out, “Oh Joyce, I didn’t know that you were so short! I wonder if height and weight also influence our way of thinking about others?

I guess that touch – a handshake or a hug for instance – can also leave us with a first impression and perhaps an accompanying prejudice. For instance, I usually think of a limp handshake as a sign of a weak personality. Once, someone explained to me that perhaps the failure to crush my hand in a firm grip might be a sign of respect, or even warmth. In spite of this explanation, I find it difficult to rid myself of my initial reaction.

Truthfully I’m not sure where I am going with all this. I suppose that one personal outcome of my reflections is that I should be more cautious about judging a book by its cover. A second might be to strive more intentionally to create a good first impression when I meet others for the first time.

June 10 - First Impressions

First impressions of others are often influenced by what we see. Subconsciously our brains take into account every visual aspect. Even without thinking, we notice things like skin colour, height, weight, attire, facial expression.  Probably most of us are totally unaware of this little prejudice.

I have just finished listening to Blink, The power of Thinking without Thinking, an audio book by Malcolm Gladwell. In one section he describes the measured reactions to facial expressions. In particular, Gladwell explores how certain movements and emotions can be anticipated as we observe the movement of particular facial muscles.

I suppose that I found this section especially interesting because I can’t see faces even at close range, I can’t observe those changing facial expressions. I wonder if this puts me at an advantage or a disadvantage. I am freed from the prejudice of judging others by their physical appearance. The way I see it, (no pun intended!) that is an advantage. However, the inability to read facial expressions can also put us at a disadvantage when it comes to reading the mood of a conversation or discussion. Certainly for those of us who can’t see, we need to be more sensitive to voice tones as we try to read social situations more accurately.

All this has just been my thoughts of the week. Interesting to mull over but not something to dwell on ad infinatum.

May 17 - Pictures From Nice

I heard on the news this morning that the Cannes Film Festival is currently in progress, and in my mind I pictured the rich and famous of the movie industry gathering behind the barricades of media attention. I am told that these barricades are not only imaginary. On our recent holiday on the French Riviera we spoke with an English couple who frequently vacation in Cannes. They reported that several weeks before the festival begins, high wooden barriers are erected around the site. I suppose that it is all a matter of security but it also keeps the ordinary tourist removed from the glitter and splash of the high rollers.  For our best glimpse of all this activity we must turn on our television sets.

The news item about Cannes reminded me that I hadn’t yet posted any pictures of Nice, so here they are now.

The first photo was taken from Castle Hill at the east end of the Nice shoreline. In the photo you can see the change in the blue of the water and the four mile promenade along the edge of the pebbled beach. Atop Castle Hill is definitely the best place to get an overview of the city. 

Nice shoreline

The second photo was taken on the roof of our seven storey hotel. I had done a few brisk laps in the small swimming pool there and as Lyle looked on, he noticed the yellow outline of Elton John’s house on the hill in the distance.  Although our own hotel was quite modest, it was fun to think that I was swimming almost in the backyard of some very famous people!

 

Sue on hotel roof

May 13 - Pictures from Paris

Sightseeing is such an interesting concept for someone who has a vision challenge. After all, both “sight” and “seeing” imply that the person who is doing the sightseeing is actually able to see. So, whenever Lyle and I are engaged in tourist type activities it is nice when I come across instances where other senses are involved. That is the point of these next two pictures from Paris.

The first picture shows me in the Rodin Museum. At the museum, I was given a pair of white gloves so that I could touch four of the sculptures. In the photo, I am standing with my white-gloved hand resting beside the sculptured head of Victor Hugo. Although I am unable to see detail, it was great to be able to feel the finer points of this piece of art.

Sue with Victor

In the second picture I have my hands on a mound of padlocks attached to one of the bridges over the Seine River. Some years ago, a young couple cemented their love for each other by locking it onto the railing of one of the bridges over the Seine. Since then many other couples have also shown the unity of their feelings by attaching a padlock. Nowadays this symbolic gesture has turned into much of a tourist trade and attraction. Hawkers near the bridge sell small padlocks to curious tourists and the number of locks has further increased to encompass several bridges. On our last day in Paris we took a tour boat cruise down the river and as we passed under the bridges, the little golden padlocks glinted in the sunshine.

 

Sue on the padlock bridge

I always appreciate these tactile “sightseeing” opportunities. 

May 10 - Pictures from Anzac Day

At last we are home and with familiar technology we are able to post a few pictures from our trip to France. Although Lyle took a series of photos, I have tried to choose those that you might not see in a guidebook or on a postcard. The following three photos were taken in Villers-Bretonneux on Anzac Day, April 25, 2014.  Anzac Day is always celebrated on April 25 each year.

The first two pictures are of the tall tower of the Australian War Memorial. In the second one I am standing in front of the tower. When we first arrived in the predawn darkness, and in spite of the 5,000 chairs that had been set up in front of it, the illuminated tower was almost all that was visible. As the morning light crept over the hill, the glowing specter of the tower stood out even more starkly.

Australian War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France

Sue in front of of the Australian War Memorial

Following the two services, the first at the Australian War Memorial and the second at the French Cenotaph, the mood of the crowd lightened. We had enjoyed the brass band performance and the rain had stopped, so many of us went in search of hot coffee and warm pastries. In our own exploration of the village, Lyle and I were delighted to see an arrangement of wooden kangaroos decorating the front lawn of what we presumed might be the local town hall. So, the third picture posted here shows me posing in front of the building with the variously coloured kangaroos in the foreground. 

Sue with kangaroos in front of Town Hall

 

May 6 - A Last Day in Paris

Our last day in Paris was perfect with blue sky and sunshine.  We made an early start of it and joined the crowds already milling around the base of the Eiffel Tower.  I was pleased to get a discounted ticket price because of my white cane.  I am always pleased with this kind of compensation when it comes to things that need to be seen.  When I don't have the full view perhaps it is fair that I don't pay the full price.  However, Lyle and I both enjoyed the elevator rides to the top of the tower.  Lyle was taken with the 360 degree view and I was aware of the height when I felt the sway of the platform under my feet.  I am not sure if it was the wind or perhaps the number of people at the top that caused the motion.

Following our time at the tower we meandered down to the Seine for an hour-long boat cruise. It was all very pleasant.  Afterwards we crossed the bridge to the north and sat for some time on a bench by the park.  It was a good time to reflect on our experiences here.  One thought that crossed my mind was that we had seen very few other white cane users.  In fact, in Paris we had seen only one - a determined young woman who seemed to be on her way to work.  In Nice, there were three - two younger girls who seemed to be local residents and a female tourist with her husband.  This was a small number considering the many thousands of people we encountered during our two-week stay in France.

Tomorrow we leave this lovely city and head back to our home in Alberta.

May 5 - Sounds of Nice

Our week on the French Riviera is over.  Lyle and I really enjoyed our time in Nice, and there are certain sounds that I will alway associate with that city - the clanging bells of the trams as they motored back and forth along the main thoroughfare; the constant cooing of the many, many pigeons; the loud boom of the twelve o'clock cannon reverberating through the streets and alleys of Old Town; the ripple of the waves on the rocky shore of the beach; and the rattle of many rocks as they were carried off the beach back under the receding surf. This last was quite fascinating to me.  On a sandy beach there is no such sound.  The rattle of the rocks was very distinctive.

We are now back in Paris for another day of sightseeing before flying home.